Aisha Iqbal

ED BALLS became the highest-profile casualty of a disastrous General Election performance for Labour, losing his seat to the Conservatives in a shock result.

The shadow chancellor was beaten by Andrea Jenkyns by 18,776 votes to 18,354 in MORLEY AND OUTWOOD - a majority of 422 - after a recount.

Former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls concedes defeat

He said the disappointment at his individual political demise was “as nothing compared to the sense of sorrow I have” at Labour’s showing across the rest of the UK.

In his speech, Mr Balls said: “Any personal disappointment I have at this result is as nothing as compared to the sense of sorrow I have at the result Labour has achieved across the UK tonight in Scotland, as well as in England and in Wales, and the sense of concern I have about the future.

“We will now face a five years where questions will arise about the future of our Union, about whether we can stay as a member of the European Union and fight for jobs and investment, whether we can make sure we secure our National Health Service at a time when public spending is cut.

“Those are real concerns to me and to many people across the United Kingdom.”

The count at Leeds Arena. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

He added: “Even on this difficult night I am sure the Labour Party will emerge in the coming weeks and months more united and more determined and, in the next few years, I think, more than ever we will need in Parliament and across the country a Labour Party absolutely determined to stand up for working people in this constituency and in our country.

“I am confident Labour will be back.”

In BRADFORD WEST, George Galloway was dealt a knockout blow after he polled just 8,557 votes to Labour candidate Naz Shah’s 19,977 votes.

The Respect candidate lost his seat after Labour comfortably overturned the left wing maverick’s huge majority of over 10,000.

The Huddersfield election count Picture: Scott Merrylees

It was day to remember for Ms Shah, who was selected at the 11th hour after the favoured Labour candidate stepped down after just four days.

Ms Shah, a mother-of-three who won sympathy and support when she spoke out about her difficult upbringing and forced marriage at 15, thanked “the wonderful people of Bradford” for placing their trust in her.

She thanked her fellow candidates but denounced Mr Galloway, saying his campaign had “demeaned our democracy”.

She said “personal attacks on me have not worked. The people of Bradford West have seen through this and you have been sent on your way.”

Mr Galloway, who was elected to Bradford West in a by-election in 2012, failed to convinced voters to return him to Parliament.

He had faced complaints from some that he hadn’t spent enough time in Bradford and had not fulfilled some of his promises.

After defeat, he congratulated Ms Shah on a “remarkable victory,” adding: “More remarkable has been the disastrous night for the Labour Party as a whole I am very sorry to say.

“The people of Bradford will wake up to discover a Conservative government back, a Labour leader who will probably resign by lunchtime and a shadow Foreign Secretary who has lost their seat.

“That’s very bad news for Bradford and not what any of us who call ourselves part of the Labour movement want to see.”

Mr Galloway added a cryptic comment, saying “a hyena can dance on a lion’s grave but can’t ever be a lion.”

He hinted at his next political move, saying: “I’m going off now to plan my next campaign.”

He wouldn’t say if he would be running for London Mayor.

Mary Creagh secured her third term as MP for WAKEFIELD in a campaign that was believed to be much closer than the result suggested.

Ms Creagh won 17,301 votes although earlier in the evening her rivals were suggesting she maybe in trouble.

She said: “I am absolutely thrilled to serve a third term. We have had a very difficult and disappointing night in Scotland.

“We have gained seats elsewhere but not as many as we would have liked to have taken.”

The former shadow health minister increased her majority.

In the 2010 elections it was 1,613 but after last night’s election it is now 2,613.

Tory candidate Antony Calvert finished second with 14,688 votes.

And the HEMSWORTH seat was held by Labour’s Jon Trickett. He took 51.3 per cent of the vote to retain his seat.

Mr Trickett said: “I am very happy to be elected. I love my constituents they are great people. they are very strong minded, hardworking people and I try to reflect that in how I work.”

Christopher Pearson, from the Conservatives, came second place with 9,694 votes.

Young pretender Richard Burgon swept to victory in LEEDS EAST with a massive 12,500 majority, and promised to carry on the legacy of people’s politician George Mudie.

He also follows in the footsteps of his uncle Colin Burgon, who represented Elmet from 1997 to 2010.

Burgon used his winning speech to pay tribute to his supporters and family, but also took time to reflect on the Labour party’s disappointing night nationally.

“It’s disappointing to see the results coming through,” he said.

“I wanted to see a Labour Government to save our NHS from privatisation , to abolish the bedroom tax which affects 1,499 homes in East Leeds alone. I wanted a Labour Government in order to increase the minimum wage and make society fairer.

“We are not going to get a Labour majority Government and that makes me sad. Not for any personal ambitions, but because I think that would be in the best interests of the people of East Leeds.”

Hilary Benn stormed to his fifth General Election victory, holding his LEEDS CENTRAL seat by a comfortable margin for Labour, and securing almost 5,000 more votes than all the other candidates put together- and 55 per cent of the total

The turnout in the constituency, the biggest in the city with an electorate of more than 80,000, was 55.35 per cent, lower than the citywide average of 65.43 per cent.

FORMER soldier Kris Hopkins outgunned his rivals to take the Keighley seat for the Tories, adding slightly to his majority from five years ago.

The seat had been highlighted by the Conservatives in the run up to the election as a key battleground and crucial in deciding who would be the next Prime Minister.

Mr Hopkins, who won with a majority of less than 3,000 five years ago, was delighted after seeing off the challenge of Labour’s John Grogan.

The result was a disaster for the Lib Dems, and their candidate Gareth Epps, mirroring the national picture.

Mr Grogan saw his hopes of returning to Parliament left in tatters. He was Labour MP for Selby for 13 years until 2010 when his constituency was abolished following boundary changes.

Tory maverick Philip Davies was buoyant after holding his SHIPLEY seat, with a majority of more than 9,000.

Mr Davies, who became the first MP to publicly call for Britain to withdraw from the European Union, and who is a member of the ‘Better Off Out’ campaign, polled 25,269 votes, leaving him well ahead of his closest challenger, Labour’s Steve Clapcote.

When he first took the seat 10 years ago, he did so with a majority of just 422 votes.

That rose to just under 10,000 at the last election, and this time he again comprehensively beat off Labour’s challenge.

Immediately after the result was declared he vowed to represent Shipley in the same vein.

He said: “It’s a great honour to represent the Shipley constituency, and I am very pleased that my vote has gone up each time.

“I will continue to do as I have done before and be an independent MP who won’t accept a promotion.

“Whoever forms the Government, I will hold them rigorously to account. I will be an independent voice on the backbenches.”

The result was another disaster for the Lib Dems, whose candidate Andrew Martin managed less than 2,000 votes.

The turnout for the constituency, which covers Shipley, Baildon, Bingley and the rural areas between Bradford and Keighley, was 71.9 percent. UKIP’s Waqas Khan polled 4,479 votes.

Labour candidate Judith Cummins easily saw off challenges from Ukip and from the Conservatives in BRADFORD SOUTH.

She polled 16,328 votes to ensure the seat remained in Labour hands after long-serving MP Gerry Sutcliffe decided not to stand.

Tory candidate Tanya Graham was second with 9878 votes, with Ukip’s Jason Smith third on 9057.

The Lib Dem man, Andrew Tear, polled only 1,094 votes.

Mrs Cummins, a former mature student who is married with two children, said it was an “honour and a privilege to be stood here as the elected MP for Bradford South.”

She added: “I will stand up for local people and local families and put them first.

“The people of Bradford West have placed their trust in me. I will work hard for Bradford South.”

Gerry Sutcliffe hailed the result as a good majority for Labour. He said predictions of a Ukip breakthrough had been wrong.

“It was a Ukip target seat but they didn’t break through.”

Liberal Democrat David Ward cut a dejected figure in the hours leading up to the official announcement that he had lost his BRADFORD EAST seat to Labour’s Imran Hussain.

Mr Ward was defending a slender majority of just 365 votes in one of the most marginal of constituencies.

Mr Hussain polled 7,000 more votes than Mr Ward, who is a former Bradford councillor.

The Lib Dem man had won praise from residents for being a campaigning and hard working MP - but that counted for little as his vote evaporated on a bad night for Liberal Democrats.

Mr Ward wasn’t present on the platform as the results were read out by the returning officer.

Mr Hussain, a barrister and the deputy leader of Bradford Council, said that his campaign had been one of the most “vibrant and energetic” that he had been involved with.

Rachel Reeves held the LEEDS WEST seat for Labour with an increased majority of more than 10,000.

Speaking after the declaration, Ms Reeves conceded it was a disappointing night for her party, but was still proud to represent her constituency.

“Tonight has been a difficult night for my party. We will have to learn from and understand the result.

“I am sorry that the manifesto that I fought for will not be implemented, but I am also sorry for the people of Leeds West and the people of my country that we can’t fulfil it.”

She also refused to be drawn on whether she feels Ed Miliband is the right man to lead the Labour Party.

The seat has been a Labour stronghold since 1987 when John Battle took the seat from Liberal Michael Meadowcroft.

Rachael Reeves has held the seat for Labour since Battle retired in 2010, when she received 16,389 votes.

The Conservatives held COLNE VALLEY as defending candidate Jason McCartney increased his majority.

Labour’s Jane East fell more than 5,000 seats short of taking the seat, as her opponent was elected for a second Parliamentary term in office.

The seat was considered to be a relatively key marginal in the run-up to the polls, with Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives all having held the seat at various points during the last 28 years.

However, the result on the night mirrored the national swing from the reds to the blues, as Mr McCartney took more than 44 per cent of the vote, enjoying a swing of 7.5 per cent in the process.

Labour took just under 20,000 votes and Melanie Roberts of UKIP came in a comfortable third ahead of the Liberal Democrats.

Nick Clegg’s party suffered a collapse to the tune of 22 percentage points, as all three of the parties ahead of them increased their vote share.

The election battle for the DEWSBURY constituency had been billed from the start as a two horse race, with both Labour and the Conservatives naming it as a key seat in their respective campaigns early on.

Most national and constituency polls had pointed towards a win for Labour’s Paula Sherriff - a health worker and councillor for Pontefract North who was selected from an all-women shortlist back in November 2013.

Since then she has been on the campaign trail, arguing that the town deserved a ‘full-time MP’ and promising to act on unpopular services changes at its local hospital.

Nobody was taking it for granted though, with the only thing that every party agreed on being that the result was too close to call.

But shortly after 7am, the Labour was given some respite with news that it had won back the seat with a majority of 1,351.

Miss Sherriff said: “I know it’s been a very long evening and long morning for everybody. I would like to thank my amazing campaign team, many of which are here with me this evening.”

In HUDDERSFIELD one thing remained a constant - the town’s MP Barry Sheerman. With eight General Election victories under his belt, Mr Sheerman could have been forgiven for feeling confident that a ninth would follow.

But a night spent watching other Labour colleagues, including many ‘dear friends’ in Scotland, losing their seats clearly tempered the delight he felt at being re-elected once more.

“I think the old politics is dead,” he told the assembled media after the results were announced.

“I think a real change has occurred. We’re no longer in that two party or three party system many of us have got comfortable with.”

Acknowledging the devastating blow dealt to Labour in Scotland, he said that there were challenging times ahead for his party there and elsewhere in the UK.

“The Labour party will have to reinvent itself in England and Wales,” he said. “Social media has changed politics. Everything I know has changed in this election.”

The Labour candidate’s 17,506 votes was just 428 ahead of Mr Allott’s 17,078, with a voter turnout of 62.1 per cent.

The Conservatives gained a 5 per cent share of the vote from the 2010 result, slashing their 1,500 majority from five years ago, but it still wasn’t enough to wrestle power away from the incumbent Labour party.

Ms Lynch, who was a late replacement for Linda Riordan, who stepped down in February after 10 years due to ill health. said: “I’m delighted. Mixed results for Labour across the country but I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work on some big issues in Halifax.

There was election night triumph for the Conservatives in Calderdale as they held on to the CALDER VALLEY.

Craig Whittaker MP will represent the constituency for a second term after winning with a majority of 4,427 votes.

Mr Whittaker received 23,354 votes - 2957 more than he did in the 2010 General Election - with a voter turnout of 67.3 per cent.

The seat fell to the Conservatives in 2010, following the retirement of Labour’s Christine McCafferty.

There was wild applause when Mr Whittaker’s winning share of the vote was announced.

Labour’s Josh Fenton-Glynn received 18,927 votes and UKIP’s Paul Rogan came in third place with 5,950 votes.